‘Tithe’ a spellbinding read

By Sarah Abbott
South Charleston High School

Welcome to a faerie tale where pixie dust is most likely poisonous and faeries are not always good; where magic is just a dangerous illusion and everything can turn upside down in a second. In “Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale,” author Holly Black distorts faerie tales and creates a dark, edgy mix of magic, myth and the modern.

Teenager Kaye is a high school dropout moving around the country with her flighty mother. When they have nowhere else to go, they temporarily move in with Kaye’s grandmother, where Kaye grew up. There everything from Kaye’s childhood begins to resurface — including her invisible friends, Spike, Lutie-loo and Gristle.

Every kid has imaginary pals. Kaye’s just happen to be real.

When she’s coming home from a party one night, Kaye finds a mysterious man in the woods, impaled by an arrow. She realizes from her experience that this man, Roiben, is one of the fey people and helps him live through the night in return for three answers to any questions she might ask. This encounter starts the plot for the rest of the book.

Kaye’s curiosity gets the better of her and she finds herself in the middle of a dangerous feud between the faeries. In their world there are three main denominations: Seelie, often looked at as the good or light Court; Unseelie, usually portrayed as the bad or dark Court and independent, the free faeries in between. Every few years, in order to assure the free faeries’ allegiance, there is a ritual called the Tithe. This is the event that could literally kill Kaye’s foray into magic.

In “Tithe,” Kaye unweaves many secrets about her past and illusions that she’s had about her future. The elegant, darkly cast Roiben is a complication: he is the servant of the Unseelie Court’s queen, unable to do anything she doesn’t want him to do and required to do what she asks. When he develops a soft spot for Kaye, the Queen gets jealous.

The elements of jealousy, danger and shadowy magic, combined with Black’s twisting writing style, will entrance readers much like a magic spell. Just when you’re expecting a predictable plot point, Black will throw a curveball and send you spiraling in another direction. Her enigmatic ending will leave you wondering how to define what’s good, what’s bad and what walks the line so thinly it’s hard to tell which is which.

“Tithe’s” only possible weakness is its unsteady pace: it can go from flying along at a breakneck pace to crawling along like a snail at a moment’s notice. This may discourage less avid readers, but the plot and originality of the book will satisfy those who can make it through the slower points.

“Tithe” brings a whole new perspective to the old question, “Do you believe in magic?” It is a perfect read for those who enjoy old Irish legends made modern and star-crossed romance. The long-awaited sequel, “Ironside,” just hit bookstores in late April.